More than 11,000 people have signed a petition urging the Government to stop the pills-by-post abortion scheme.
The scheme was first introduced as a temporary measure during the 2020 coronavirus outbreak. It eliminated the requirement of a face-to-face consultation with a medical professional, or for the pills to be taken in a supervised medical setting.
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) launched the petition citing the case of a man who was convicted last year for deliberately poisoning a woman with abortion pills to kill her 15-week-old baby.
Women hospitalised
SPUC said there is “abundant evidence” that the pills-by-post scheme is being used to carry out abortions past the legal limit of 24 weeks.
The petition noted that six per cent of these DIY abortions result in complications requiring surgical intervention, with 14 women hospitalised daily due to related complications.
SPUC urged the public to support the petition, writing on X: “The dangerous pills-by-post scheme should never have been given the green light and must come to an end.”
Coercive
The petition states: “If this system continues, women will continue to face unnecessary emotional trauma, medical complications, and coercion. Continuing without safeguards will normalise unsafe practices, devalue life, and perpetuate harm.”
It continued: “That is why we are calling on the Health Secretary to commission an urgent review into this failed policy. Any impartial review of the evidence would show that this policy is dangerous for women and poses unacceptable risks.
“DIY abortion removes vital protections, letting abusers coerce women into unwanted abortions.”
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